Virginia Wildlife

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January 1977
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January, Volume XXXVIII/No. 1

Dedicated to the Conservation of Virginia's
Wildlife and Related Natural Resources

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
MILLS E.GODWIN, JR., GOVERNOR

Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries

COMMISSIONERS

Ralph L. Weaver, Chairman, IVaynesboro; John
P. Randolph, Vice Chairman, Colonial Heights;
James D. Bowie, Bristol; Edward E. Edgar,
Norfolk; Frank F. Everest, Jr. Alexandria; Doiph
Hays, Arlington; Allan A. Hoffman, M.D.,
Danville; James R. Knight, Jr., D.D.S., Warsaw;
Richard E. Watkins, Richmond; V\l'\\\\am H. West,
Millwood.

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS

Chester F Phelps, Executive Director; James F.
Mclnteer, Jr., Assistant Director; Richard H.
Cross, Jr , Chief. Game Division; Harry L. Gillam,
Chief, Education Division; Jack M. Hoffman,
Chief, Fish Division; John H. McLaughlin, Chief,
Law Enforcement; Sam J. Putt, Chief, Admini-
stra tive Services.

Virginia Wildlife is published monthly In Rich-
mond, Va. by the Commission of Game and In-
land Fisheries, 4010 W. Broad St. All magazine
subscriptions, changes of address and inquiries
should be sent to PO Box 1 1 104, Richmond, Va.
23230. The editorial office gratefully receives for
publication news items, articles, photographs
and sketches of good quality which deal with
Virginia's soils, water, forests and wildlife. The
Commission assumes no responsibility for unsoli-
cited manuscripts and Illustrative material. Cre-
dit IS given on material published. Permission to
reprint text material is granted provided credit is
given the Virginia Commission of Game and In-
land Fisheries and Virginia Wildlife, but clear-
ance should also be obtained from contributing
free-lance writers, artists and photographers to
reproduce their work.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year, $2; three years
S5. Make check or money order payable to
Treasurer of Virginia and send to Commission
of Game and Inland Fisheries, P.O. Box 1 1 104,
Richmond, VA 23230.

Observations, conclusions and opinions ex-
pressed in VIRGINIA WILDLIFE are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect those
of the members or staff of the Commission of
Game and I niand F Isherles.

Second Class Postage paid in Richmond, Va.

Features

4 NIGHT FULL OF COONS, by J. T. Myers
A Novice is Initiated

7 WHITE-TAIL SAFARI, by Bill Thomas

Over-informed, under-prepared

8 ROBERT CLONTZ

A Gallery of Wildlife Art

10 STARLINGS! by Frank Hanenkrat
A well-adapted nuisance

14 SPORTSMEN AND NATURE LOVERS, by J. C. Hendee
Is there room for both?

17 THERE'S A RED-HEADED SPARROW, by Mrs. C. Johnson

But it's really a purple Finch

18 PRIMITIVE WEAPONS, by Bill Weekes

A Modern Challenge

20 PERSONALITIES, by Bill Cochran
Dr. Henry S. Mosby

23 THE RAPPAHANNOCK, by Ned Thornton
The newest Wildlife Management Area

26 BIRD OF THE MONTH, by J. W. Taylor

The Barred Owl

27 WHAT TO FEED A BIRD, by Emily Grey

Are birds really picky eaters?

30 COAL AND TROUT, by Dennis Anderson
Can They Coexist?

33 PHILPOTT, by Bob Gooch
Virginia 's Toughest Lake

Departments

3 Editorial

3 Letters

13 Conservationgram

22 It Appears To Me

31 The Drumming Log

32 Growing Up Outdoors
35 On The Waterfront

Staff

HARRY L. GILLAM, Editor

MEL WHITE, Associate Editor

GAIL HACKMAN, Editorial Assistant

CARL "SPIKE" KNUTH, Artist and Photographer

F. N. SATTERLEE and J. N. KERRICK, Staff Writers

DENIS A. DALE, Production and Design

FRONT COVER:

Ring-neck Ducks by Leland Simmons, Smithfield.
This painting is in the collection of Harry Webb,
Petersburg.

BLAZE ORANGE?

Each year as hunting accident statistics begin to pour
in the question is asked, "Why aren't hunters required
to wear blaze orange clothing?" It sounds like a simple
answer to a sticky question and therein lies its weak
point. Complicated problems usually don't have simple
answers.

To begin with, 51% of all accidents involve careless
gun handling. Weapons that discharge under such
conditions would not be influenced by blaze orange.
Many of these are self inflicted and the majority
happen at 10 yards or less. An additional 30% involve
persons who move into the line of fire or are covered by
shooters swinging on game. Blaze orange might be
enough of a warning signal to cause a few of these to
pull up and hold their fire, but in the excitement of the
chase color is of questionable value.

Thus we are down to 19% of all accidents, about 1 in
5, in which blaze orange has a fair chance to save a Hfe.
These are the "mistaken for game" mishaps where one
hunter aims at another and pulls the trigger. An average

of 12 injuries and 2 fatalities of this type occur each
year. Many of these involve unethical or illegal acts —
shooting into dense brush at unseen movement or
shooting outside legal hours. Such blatant carelessness
obviously could not be entirely overcome by protective
color.

But even more basic than its limited potential for
saving life and limb, making blaze orange mandatory
removes the responsibility from the shooter and places
it on the victim. If you are not wearing your blaze
orange it becomes your fault you got shot, not the fault
of the trigger happy slob who shot you. Courts have
called it contributory negligence. It seems a little un-
fair.

Blaze orange is excellent insurance and the Game
Commission is in no way belittling its value. All smart
hunters wear it, but a law that makes good sense man-
datory can have its drawbacks in court. If the courts
would expect shooters to exhibit equally good sense it
might work. — HLG

m.

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TAKE PRIDE

Hunting does not mean riding around in
cars or trucks and telling your buddy over
the radio which way the deer are running
and then driving like a fool to head the deer
off and shoot him.

So hunters get with it. Leave your cars
and trucks parked. Walk into the woods.
Make sure of your target before you shoot.
Never hunt without the landowners' per-
mission. Obey all hunting laws. Make
Virginia proud of its hunters.

James E. Cobbs
Howardsville

BREAKER-ONE

I believe your October editorial on CB s
accurately reflects public opinion --both
among non-hunters and among many avid
hunters such as myself.

I personally believe that all hunters have
responsibility for effecting improvement
of their image. CBs are hurting that image.
The Commission should not shirk its
responsibility in this matter. Why not pro-
hibit use of CBs for hunting and give
enforcement a try? Chances are good that
most hunters will voluntarily comply. The
remaining individuals are not true hunters.

John Gunner
Reston

Martin R. Murk, a commercial artist
from Greendale, Wisconsin, was the winner
in the recently concluded annual Duck
Stamp Art Contest sponsored by the
Interior Department's Fish and Wildlife
Service. Murk's drawing of a pair of Ross'
Geese won top honors from the more than
200 entries which were received since the
contest opened in July.

The winning painting, which is the third
to be entered by Murk in as many years,
will be reproduced on the 1977-78 Migra-
tory Bird Hunting and Conservation
Stamp. The stamp, which was first issued
in 1934, is a required purchase for anyone
over the age of 16 years who hunts migra-
tory waterfowl. Revenue from the sale of
the stamp (except for the cost of printing
and handling) is used for the acquisition of
migratory bird habitat.

MENU FOR MANAGEMENT

Regarding Clark's question about fes-
cue and rabbit, I conducted a simple ex-
periment by feeding domestic rabbits fes-
cue hay during the winter months. When
spring came the rabbits fed fescue did not
reproduce.

Over the past several years, I have ob-
served fields on a large military reservation
planted with a pasture mixture containing
10 percent fescue. Within 5 years from the
date of planting these fields were almost
100 percent fescue. This is attributed to
three factors: (1) Fescue takes over by
crowding out other plants in the area; (2)
An over-population of deer heavily grazed
the clover and vetch in the wildlife food
patches severely damaging these palatable
plants; but deer did not touch the fescue-
thus permitting the fescue alone to form
seed heads and reseed itself; (3) Mowing
of these fields after they were planted with
pasture mixture permitted the fescue to
spread through the root system while kil-
ling the other plants.

Rabbits, quails or even field mice can
rarely be found in a field after fescue has
become fully established. In areas where
100 deer could be counted before fescue
was planted now a single deer is rarely seen.

Edwin R. Riley
Williamsburg

A Night Full of Coons

By JAMES T.MYERS

When we came stomping tiirough tiie brush
Castro, Ted Anderson's big Red -Bone, was
standing on his hind legs and clawing at the tree and
laying it on loud enough to bust his lungs. Collar was
chewing at the trunk and doing his best to bay through
a mouth full of spUnters. The rest of the dogs were
treeing all around the big oak and raising more cain
than most of them were worth.

"Shoot, Ted!" I said, pausing to catch my breath.
"This looks like it's going to be easy. The way y 'all been
talking I thought it would be a lot tougher than this."

"Well, this ain't all there is to coon hunting, Jim.
We've been real lucky so far tonight," he answered with
a funny little grin.

"It couldn't be too tough," I said, "this is the third
one we've treed and I ain't hardly got my clothes dirty
yet."

"Somebody shine a light up in the tree before we
bore that poor critter plumb to death. I reckon if he's as
tired of listening to y'all as I am he ain't apt to hang
around much longer."

When we located the coon in the top of the big oak
tree Franklin put on his climbers and went up after it. It
looked real easy the way he wrestled that coon into his
burlap sack. I figured when it came time for me to go up
I'd show them hillbillies something about this little
game of theirs.

For those of you who've never been coon hunting I'll
tell you right now, you really have to know a little
something to catch them devils. Sometimes the littler
you know the better off you are. My biggest trouble
was something that kept getting in my way — my
mouth. I started by teUing everybody that I didn't
think there was a coon in those woods that could out-
smart me. Now when you're as dumb and scrawny as I
am you don't go talking Uke that or you just get your-
self into trouble.

In a few minutes we were easing along behind the
dogs in the light of a full April moon. Coons were as
thick as flies and had been doing a lot of crop damage
for several years so farmers were more than happy to let
us go after them anytime and anyplace.

It was only a short while before the dogs lit out after
another ringtail and headed him through the swamp.
They treed it a few minutes later in a tall scrawny pine
that looked like it wouldn't hold any of us. It was too
little to chmb and too big to shake him out of. We were
standing around jabbering about how we could get him

JANUARY, 1977

out when I remembered the pistol I had brought along
for snakes. There it was hanging in its little-old holster
and I'd completely forgotten it.

"Maybe I could get him out with a grazing shot," I
said only half aloud as I waved the barrel toward the
tree. You could 've heard C. W. laugh all the way into
the next county. Franklin just frowned at him and took
on a real serious tone. "I don't think I'd be laughing if I
were you, C.W. I've seen this boy shoot and he can beat
the best of them. He don 't take kindly to folks laughing
at him."

Now I had only been joking but FrankUn saw a
chance to really put me on a spot. I'm probably the
world's worst with a pistol, rarely hitting anything over
ten feet away. To make matters worse the poorest tar-
get a man could have is a treed coon in the middle of the
night. Those beady little eyes glowing down at you
make a darned poor target at best.

By this time C.W. was about to bust a gut and he was
more than glad to help me make a fool of myself. He
just grinned real big and handed me the flashUght. I
could see I'd finally gone that one final step too far.

I grinned right back and thanked him. I shined the
light into the treetop and as soon as I saw the glow of
his eyes I snapped off a quick shot without bothering to
take aim. (By this time I didn't have anything to lose
anyway.) I couldn't believe it when he came tumbling
down and hit the ground — stone dead.

C.W. swallowed kind of hard and stared slack-jawed
at the dead coon.

"Doggone it," I kicked at the tree. "And I was only
trying to stun him, too. I guess I'm not as good as we
thought, Franklin." I grinned as I put the pistol back
into the holster.

I was paranoid that one of them would ask me to do
it again before the night was over but I guess they'd had
just about enough of that.

The dogs were getting pretty excited by now and
they didn't waste any time finding another fresh track.
It wasn't thirty minutes before we had another one of
them bandits in a tree. Right about here those so-called
friends of mine suddenly decided that all their experi-
ence and my shooting weren't giving the poor coons
half a chance. Since they were real sportsmen at heart
they decided that it was time to give the coons a little
edge. By the looks on their faces I could tell that all at
once coon hunting was going to start getting a whole
lot tougher.

I grudgingly put on the climbers and then was darn
near thrown bodily up into the tree. I could see that it

was senseless to argue with those dumb hillbillies, and
being just a little yellow at heart, I started up into the
endless maze of branches. That darned coon had to go
and pick the biggest oak in the state to climb. About
halfway up the tree they yelled at me to stop and I was
sure they'd had a change of heart but it wasn't so. The
coon was laying out on a big limb right in front of me.
(At least that was what they were yelling, I couldn't see
it there myself.)

Reluctantly I crawled out onto the limb but still I
saw no coon. The tree was so big I could lay right out on
the limb, so I paused for a minute to catch a breath.
Usually a coon will go up into the higher smaller
branches, but I guess that this one had decided she'd
run far enough this time.

I kept shining my Ught out on the limb but I couldn't
seem to find her anywhere. By now there was all kinds
of yelling and barking going on down below but I
couldn't make anything out of it so I didn't pay much
attention to it.

I finally mustered enough courage and yelled loud
enough so I figured they could hear me. "That darned
coon ain't up here no more, and I ain't going to be up
here no longer than I can help it either. You might not
like it but I'm coming down anyway."

I listened for a few seconds to see what they'd say
but I still couldn't understand a word so I started back
down. When I looked behind me I could see what all
that yelling had been about, and it almost gave me a
seizure right on the spot. I was staring eye to eye with
the biggest, most ferocious old sow that ever stole an
ear of com. She was grinning and I was starting to shake
and the dogs were barking and the men yelhng and I
was just about plumb scared to death.

From where I was lying in that moonlight she looked
like she'd weigh a good sixty pounds, but even a died-
in-the-wool liar like me wouldn't try to tell you that. It
doesn't really matter anyway — we never did get her on
the scales.

It only took one look into
those beady eyes

I figured from where I was there was only one way
out and that was to do a job on her. I swung that
catching pole around trying to get the best shot at her
that I could, only she kept one step ahead of me. I'd
poke the darned thing at her and she'd kind of lean
sideways just enough to keep away from it. I'd poke the
other way and she'd lean back.

This went on for about five minutes with me yelling,
"I'm coming down!" every thirty seconds, knowing all

too well I wasn't about to. Even if I could have made it
past her I wouldn't have made it to the ground.

I saw right there that I had gone and got myself into a
real spot, brother. Everybody on the ground was
yelling and cussing and beating on the tree, and she just
sat there leaning and grinning, and my nerves were
getting worse by the minute.

When I'd had about as much as I could take, I
decided to try pushing her off the limb. Along about
that time she'd had all she wanted of playing around,
too. I poked the pole at her and she grabbed it in them
ferocious looking jaws and started eating her way to
me. I got the idea that it wasn't my day.

I figured I better do something quick so I began to
shake the stick with everything I had, which wasn't
very much by then. She chomped down on that stick
like she wasn't ever going to let go and just rolled off
the limb. True to form I didn't have enough sense to let
go. I guess that old girl must've had a right good judge
of intelligence, because she could see right off that I
didn't have none to speak of.

"And everything busted
loose at once"

Me and her lit smack dab in the middle of them
yowling hounds and everything busted loose at once.
Dirt and leaves were flying around and I was at the
bottom of the whole mess. I was trying to fight off the
dogs and the dogs were fighting each other and she was
fighting everybody and looked like she was the only
one winning. You never heard such a hullabaloo in all
your natural born days. The biting and growling and
cussing was enough to deafen a man.

Those hillbillies didn't help matters much either.
They'd pull one dog off and three more would pile back
on. From the bottoln of the pile it looked like there
must've been a hundred of those worthless hounds.
They must've been right badly confused because one of
them big Red-Bones grabbed me by the collar and drug
me about thirty yards into a nice cold creek. I didn't
really mind getting dragged into the creek, it seemed to
be a good way out of the fight, but that crazy hound
dropped me there and went back after the coon.

But momma coon was too tough for them hounds.
When she finished with them they weren't able to
scratch their own fleas. She'd run off all the other
coons in the woods to boot so there wasn't much to do
but pack it on home.

It was a mighty long time before this old country
boy went back into those woods. Of course I don't want
you to think I blame it on the coon, she didn't start it
anyway.

6

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

White-toil
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By BILL THOMAS

In September 1975 I saw on my "Virginia Wild-
life" issue the theme for National Hunting and
Fishing Day — "Put an Indoorsmen in your Shoes." A
few days later a Fairfax County Park Authority natura-
list friend of mine, Jim Banton, decided to put me in his
shoes on his parents' farm in Albemarle County.

As a biology teacher in Suburban Fairfax County I
have always taught the benefits of hunting to high
school students. Working seasonably as a naturalist for
FCPA I explain hunting frequently to all groups. I have
even taught a night class in wildlife management —
without having hunted myself.

My anticipation grew as deer season approached. I
went through my back issues of "Virginia Wildlife"
getting some hints from you wise old hunters. Most
hunters wanted to know where I was hunting so they
could go somewhere else. Having target practiced off
and on for years, attended safety demonstrations, and
frequently watched deer in the woods, I felt sure I
wouldn't shoot at anything except a deer.

The Prince William County Gun Club of Occoquan,
Virginia annually holds a "sighting in." The two week-
ends before deer season begins, they open their
shooting range in Dale City to the public. Another big
game novice and teacher, John Dieringer, and I took
our rifles both weekends to sight in. John was on his
high school rifle team years earlier, and has hunted
small game with a shotgun. He, as well as I, learned a lot

JANUARY, 1977

from these "pros." The gun club members have one
30-yard target and six targets at 100 yards. Hidden in
the woods, they have a running deer (a cardboard deer
on ropes with a bicycle wheel and a pully). They are
safety conscious, and nobody shoots without an
instructor's permission. As I sighted in for my first
shot, wobbling up and down like a duck on dry land,
the instructor couldn't believe his eyes (his description
was a little different). After some help I steadied up and
shot well enough to score a hit every time. I learned
something else also — don't shoot a 30-06 rifle without
some padding. Even with Ben Gay, my shoulder was
sore for two days.

Camping out in the cold of winter was something
not to look forward to. Although I have camped out in
all seasons for the past 15 years, I have never had to
plan for a deer hunt. I took the usual gear, then added
our guns, shells, blaze vests and hats, rope, ice coolers,
butcher knives, saws, freezer paper and an article "How
to Butcher a Deer" from the November 1974 "Virginia
Wildlife." We didn't know if the weather would be cold
enough to bring the deer home, or if we would have to
butcher it there. The only thing we were sure of was
we were going to kill a deer.

The big day came and we drove to Albemarle
County. Jim met us and we set up camp. That day, the
fourth day of the season, two bucks were taken by
Jim's hunting party — both in an open field less than
300 yards from our camp. Jim told us of all the signs he
had seen nearby. There were fresh tracks, scrapings,
rubs on trees and trails everywhere.

^

We woke to have our sausage and eggs and listened to
the wind and rain trying to tear our tent apart. The rain
let up so we loaded our rifles and headed for our tree
stands. Jim took the stand overlooking the field where
the bucks were taken. John climbed a hollow to work a
ridge. I walked up a fire break to a stand that over-
looked a mixed hardwood and .softwood forest. For the
next five hours it rained, with me climbing up and
down the tree looking for a place to keep dry. I did find
scrapings and an area in which deer fed. But, I did not
see one deer. With all the shots and the barking dogs
over the ridge, maybe Jim or John were luckier. I met
them at camp, but they didn't see a thing either.

That afternoon Jim and I covered other areas of the
1,000 acre farm and woods. I sat on the branch of a tree
after finding a well-used trail. Off to my left a field
extended for 400 yards. With an hour to go before
dark, my hopes lessened as a hunting dog settled down
to eat the remains of a dead groundhog. With that dog
there, a deer would have to be blind to walk past me. As
I went back to camp swearing, I found I didn't have it
so bad. John sat in his stand for three hours with eight
deer-hounds in the field below eating deer guts. It
seems the dc^ were released that morning or the day
before somewhere in the county, and kept on walking.
If the owner is still in the area, and finds them, his dogs
will be as healthy as when he lost them.

The next morning we drove to another pine forest.
Surely in this undisturbed area we would find a buck.
John hunted on the powerline right of way, along the
creek, and I in thick pines. We heard shots all around us,
dogs barking across the road and saw two or three
hunters on our private land. Somebody must have
killed a deer, but we still had not seen any. I began
wondering why I left suburban Fairfax County, where I
saw deer the past week.

Our last afternoon on Saturday we climbed a hill at
two thirty to get an early start. The owners had seen
five or six deer Friday night on the hill, so we still were
hoping. After walking for an hour I sat in a tree over-
looking a laurel thicket where the deer signs were
numerous. The forest floor was noisy with juncos,
thrashers, and wrens in the leaves. Above me I could see
chickadees, nuthatches, and a downy woodpecker. As
darkness approached I listened for deer coming
through the leaves. And then, I heard Jim calling me
back.

I learned a lot on the trip and my spirit is still high.
Although the deer weren't there this time, maybe next
time they will be. When I asked the owners where a
good place to hunt his deer was, he gave me this
country reasoning answer "Any place is a good place, if
a deer walks by." Next time I hunt I'll be at that place.

Since this trip, I took five others in four counties and
two states, and only shot once. My students did bring in
5 hides, which I have tanned and more are on the way.

]S®lo)©ff ft ©a(o)m&

Robert Clontz has been intrigued by the out-
doors and its wildlife since childljood. Since
moving to southeastern Virginia as a boy he
has observed with fascination the area's
abundance of waterfowl. Being an avid hunter
he has experienced weather conditions, flight
patterns of waterfowl and the varying moods
and captivating beauty of a salt marsh. Fqur
years ago he began to paint the scenes and
conditions typical to the waterfowler. Un-
encumbered by the technicalities of formal
art training his paintings reflect both the
simplicities of the coastal marsh and the
complexities of the behavior of waterfowl.
His works are included in private and corpo-
rate collections throughout the eastern sea-
board. He resides with his wife, Carol, and
two sons in the country near Smithfield, Va.
Information on paintings may be obtained
by writing the artist at: RFD 2, Box 207,
Smithfield, VA 23430 - Phone
(804) 357-4747.

8

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

Top: Wigeon; Right: Canada Geese

These lovely pain tings by Robert
Clontzdepict Virginia waterfowl
in their coastal marsh habitat.

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Right: Black ducks; Far Right: Mallards;
Below: Canvasbacks

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STARLINGS!

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Imported in 1890, the starling has become a well-known pest. A messy housekeeper, the starling can carry disease.

By FRANK F. HANENKRAT

" I "he setting sun is a red wafer
■'• beneath a clear November sky.
Near Lynchburg, Virginia, I don
boots and a weatherproof poncho
and walk cautiously into a stand of
half-grown pines, and into a blizzard.
It is a blizzard of birds, a continuous
stream of hundreds of thousands of
dark birds descending out of the sky
on fluttering wings. I am entering a
communal blackbird roost; most of
the birds are starlings, and the rest
are grackles, red-winged blackbirds,
and cowbirds. Later, in December,
Mrs. Myriam P. Moore of Lynchburg
will study the roost site for a period
of weeks, and, using various meas-

10

uring and statistical techniques, will
estimate the number of birds to be
approximately 961,400, with the
starlings numbering about one-half
of the total.

The roost is small by comparison
to some which have contained an
estimated 7 to 10 million birds. But
even so, to walk into it is to enter a
bizarre, surrealistic region. The
stench of the birds' droppings rises
from the ground, where all of these
birds have deposited their nightly
excreta for weeks. The dusky atmos-
phere among the pines is filled with
an unforgettable din. It is a waterfall
of sound, the sounds of shrieks and
chatter and flapping wings, sounds
that cascade down from every tree

until the volume seems almost
thunderous. On practically every
limb more than halfway up every
tree, birds flutter and squawk and
skirmish for choice roosting sites.
With the aid of a flashlight I find, in
the gloom, the corpses of dead birds
on the ground, birds who died from
natural or unnatural causes. It is not
a pleasant or healthy place.

When blackbird roosts are in the
countryside, as this one was, they
create relatively little disturbance to
humans. But when the birds decide
to roost in urban areas or near air-
ports, they create havoc. City
dwellers complain of the foul drop-
pings, the stench, the noise, and the
health hazard created by a wind-

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

borne organism that may multiply in
starling droppings; in humans it
causes histoplasmosis, a turbercu-
losis-like disease. When the flocks
congregate near jet runways, the
birds can be sucked into the jet
engines, causing the engines to stall
and the plane to crash. Exactly such
an accident occurred at the Boston
airport on October 6, 1960, at 5:40
p.m., when 62 passengers were
killed. The engines of the downed
plane, when examined, were clogged
with the feathers and bodies of star-
lings.

There must surely be a lesson in
the history of the starling in this
country. It is an introduced--an un-
wisely introduced-species. One
Eugene Scheifflin released 80 of the
birds in New York's Central Park on
March 6, 1890. He was a member of
the misguided Acclimatization
Society, and his peculiar purpose
was to introduce into America all of
the birds mentioned by Shakespeare.
On April 25, 1891, he released 40
more. And the cages from which he
released them proved to be
Pandora's boxes. By 1918, the ad-
vance hne of the invading starlings
ran from Ohio to Alabama; in 1926,
from Illinois to Texas; in 1941, from
Idaho to New Mexico; and in 1946,
the birds swarmed into California
and up into Canada. Today, starlings
are possibly the most numerous
birds in the United States.

It did not take Americans long to
recognize the mistake of introducing
the species, but by then, of course, it
was already too late. Starlings are
cavitynesters, and one of the most
aggressive of all perching birds. They
systematically rout native cavity-
nesters and destroy their eggs,
appropriating the nest sites for them-
selves. The most frequent victims are
flickers, red-headed and other
species of woodpeckers, bluebirds,
wrens, tree swallows, martins, and a
few other species, most of whom are
beneficial insect-eaters that migrate
south for the winter. But starlings do
not migrate in the same sense, and
preempt as many nest cavities as
they can find before the migratory

JANUARY, 1977

cavity -nesters return in the spring.
Some victimized species, such as the
woodpeckers, can survive by making
new nest sites in woodland areas,
where starlings seldom venture; but
others, such as the eastern bluebirds,
who require nesting sites near open
fields, have been drastically reduced
in numbers. In fact, bluebirds pro-
bably now need help from man in
the form of starling-proof nesting
boxes if they are to maintain desir-
able numbers.

Starlings thrive because they are
intelligent, hardy, aggressive, and
adaptable. They also thrive because
our urban culture provides them
with a nearly perfect habitat.
Originally birds of the close-cropped
sheep pastures of England, they find
almost ideal foraging areas in the
plentiful acres of well-clipped grass
in surburban lawns, industrial parks,
highway median strips and shoul-
ders, and farmlands near the edges of
cities. They also have learned that
there is abundant food to be found
at city dumps and at household bird
feeders. Because they so strongly
prefer these man-made areas, starling
populations tend to coincide with
human populations in cities and
towns.

Starlings are extremely social in
their behavior, and in the fall when

the nesting season is over, they begin
to gather in loose flocks. As winter
approaches, the entire population in
an area may drift together into a
single roosting site which is used
each night. Every morning, small
flocks radiate out of preferred
feeding areas in the suburbs. There
they feed on seeds, insects, grubs,
worms, and just about anything
that's edible.

Roost sites sometimes occur with-
in municipalities-often in residential
sections with suitable roost trees,
but sometimes in a downtown site
where the birds roost on buildings.
There they find protection from
wind, rain, and snow; and usually
they enjoy a few extra degrees of
warmth from the heated buildings.
When starlings choose such nest
sites, they are necessarily conspic-
uous and receive a great deal of
publicity. The difficulties in
attempting to shoo the birds away
are well known. No harmless yet
effective method has been dis-
covered, though just about every-
thing has been tried. Loud noises;
flashing lights; fake predators;
chemical, electrical, and physical
barriers; and trapping, are just a few
of the unsuccessful methods. So far
the most effective method seems to
be the use of Tergitol, a detergent

substance that is sprayed on the
roosting birds from an airplane; it
destroys the insulating qualities of
the birds' plumage, and, if the
weather cooperates by providing
rain and low temperatures, the birds
then freeze to death. The use of
Tergitol is controversial, however,
and is by no means the ultimate
solution to starling roosts. One
problem is that it also destroys harm-
less species who may roost with
starlings.

Starlings prefer high-density
population centers (which create
problems of food supply and waste
disposal); they prefer areas that are
cultivated and controlled rather than
natural; they are adaptable to a wide
range of living conditions, and have
an inordinately high reproductive
rate. They also have Old World
origins, and have swarmed over the
Western hemisphere with disruptive
effects on the native eco-system. In
these respects, they strongly
resemble another irruptive species-
hemo sapiens. It is sobering to
contemplate that the small, black
bird with shirring wings, whom
nobody seems to like very much,
actually mirrors many of our own
characteristics.

Common grackle, brown-headed cowbird and red-winged blackbird; three species that locally roost with starlings. Most people
consider these native birds to be pests too, but none is so troublesome or nearly so irruptive as the starling.

12

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

Conservationgram

DEER DEATH CAUSE CONFIRMED. Dr. Fred W. Rea, Chief Pathologist for the Depart-
ment of Agriculture and Commerce's Division of Animal Health and Dairies,
reported that laboratory tests have confirmed that Hemorrhagic Disease
(HD) of white-tailed deer has caused the death of more than 50 deer in
Dinwiddle and Nottoway counties during the latter part of September and
the first three weeks of October. Lab tests have confirmed the disease
in two deer, one from Dinwiddle County, and the other from Nottoway
County. The first deer, a 10-point buck, was found standing in shallow
water of Lake Chesdin. (The disease causes a high fever which often re-
sults in the animal's seeking water.) The second deer was found and
taken to the laboratory by Fort Pickett v;ildlife personnel. Deer
hunters are requested by the Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries
to report deer carcasses to the county game wardens for mapping and to
assist in determining the scale of the die-off. Early cold weather,
bringing first frosts to portions of Virginia on October 11 with frosts
throughout the state during the third week of October, are credited with
causing the abrupt halt of the outbreak. Biting midges (gnats) which are
needed to spread the virus are killed by frost. The cold October wea-
ther, coupled with the drought during the summer of 1976, kept the out-
break to the short period of late September to mid-October. HD does not
constitute a health threat to man. It is most commonly found in areas
where deer are over-populated. The disease die-off is another example
of nature's way of reducing over-populated wild animal populations if
man's legal harvest does not adequately accomplish the task. Hemorrha-
gic Disease is an acute, infectious, often fatal viral disease of rumi-
nants. The disease is not new to Virginia's deer herds. It was diagnosed
in a die-off in 1974 and 1971, and was believed to have been the cause
of deer mortality in eastern Virginia in 1962, as well as the mysterious
Disease X which caused deer die-off s in the southeast in the 40 's and 50 ' s

SUSTAINED YIELD OF STARLINGS? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced
a policy for controlling starlings that would prevent anyone reducing
the national population of that exotic and destructive bird by more than
10 percent, according to the Wildlife Management Institute. The policy,
in effect, appears to prevent any significant reduction in the number of
an alien species that plays havoc with native birds. It seems that
starlings will be managed henceforth on a sustained yield basis. The
Service apparently was daunted into issuing the strange policy v/ith a
lawsuit filed last year by the Society of Animal Rights. No one knows
what effect the policy will have on starling populations, native black-
birds or other avian species. A yearly 10 percent reduction in starling
numbers could stimulate an increase in the population through increased
survival of the young. In any event, the eastern bluebird, woodpeckers,
and other native species can be assured of an indefinite supply of
antagonists.

JANUARY, 1977

13

.....::..^

ByJOHNC.HENDEE

Sportsmen

Is there room for both on

The primary objectives of the Wildlife Refuge System are protecting and perpetuating migratory
waterfowl as subjects of hunting and objects of great public interest, preserving rare and en-
dangered species and providing public hunting. But, in addition, Wildlife Refuges are suggested as
important considerations for outdoor recreation playgrounds and as comprehensive wildlife and
natural ecosystems displays.

In a study of 2,500 recreationists, attitude scores for hunters and fishermen indicated that they were
much less inclined to be preservation oriented than other outdoor recreationists and were more
likely to hold utilitarian perspectives. "Appreciative" or purist interests, on the other
hand, view the natural environment as an object of appreciation. Of course, the issue
is not clear cut, since many hunters are appreciative and some purists hunt. But, a
generalization, the conflicting perspectives of purists and hunters appear valid.

The established framework pits recreation based on appreciation of the
natural environment against consumptive forms of recreation, such as
hunting and fishing. Appreciative uses include primitive camping, hiking,
photography, nature study and interpretation, vicarious enjoyment of
the resource through communication media, and scientific research.
Many of them are not in total conflict with .s^
hunting and fishing. Providing for one use does ''.
not always preclude the other. But all are***^
incompatible to some

Sportsmen who helped fund the Federal
Refuge system through purchase of Migra-
tory Bird Stamps want to reap the
recreational benefits these areas can offer.

y

I

yTTTTT.. . - i..J.i.i.i"iiiijiiii 1..,

Nature Lovers

)ur National Wildlife Refuges?

■L^*S^....

-f^'

extent, if only in the minds of users. Bird watchers don't hke to see birds hunted. And, whereas wildlife
can only be shot once with a gun, it can be shot many times with a camera. Future competition
between appreciative and consumptive uses of wildlife refuges will become more intense and trade-
offs will be increasingly necessary.

One distinguishing characteristic of hunters and fishermen is their rural background. Our study
indicated that seventy -five percent of recreationists who hunted or fished were raised in small towns or
rural areas. Several other studies from many parts of the country confirm the rural cultural back-
ground of these sportsmen. The rural bias of hunters and fishermen is particularly significant since
studies also show that outdoor recreationists preferring appreciative forms of recreation tend to
be urban bred and to reside in urban areas.

The respective rural versus urban backgrounds of hunters and fishermen and appreci-
ative recreationists seem basic to preferences for these different forms of natural environ-
ment use. The urban way of life is not tied to utilization of natural resources the way rural
occupations are. Thus, urban conditions permit development of nonutilitarian atti-
tudes toward nature and cultivation of an appreciative perspective.
Decisions pitting purist versus sporting uses thus contract
social classes and rural versus urban perspectives and values
concerning the natural environment. Such generalizations ex-
clude many considerations, but these aspects of natural
^^IlpB^ resource allocation and management have widespread politi-

** * cal implications and warrant close attention. Revitalizing

rural areas is of great national concern but the one-
man, one-vote ruling of the Supreme Court has
given urban residents greater political power.
The social class issue is also crucial. A leading
conservation writer, Michael Frome, recently
wrote "I have always considered parks, forests
and Wildlife Refuge as manifestations of a
living democracy. Now I suspect they have the
same weaknesses as other institutions that need
new directions."

John C. Hendee is Recreation Research Project Leader for
the Pacific Northwest Forest & Range Experiment Sta
tion, USDA, Seattle, Washington. This article is con
densed from a paper presented at the 34th North
American Wildlife and Natural Resources Confer
ence, Washington DC. 1969.

Nature enthusiasts have taken to federal
refuges in droves and often view the con-
sumptive hunter or fisherman as a threat to
their continued enjoyment of wildlife.

Appreciation of outdoof resources that is
learned during childhood is reflected in
later life use of natural resources.

Tangible Benefits. The recreation
experience is a commodity characterized
by (1) immediate enjoyment (pleasure
incurred before, during and after partici-
pation; (2) long-term physical and psycho-
logical benefits to participants (strong
bodies and healthy minds); (3) long-term
benefits to the Nation (happy, more pro-
ductive citizens). Following are some of
the intangible benefits and values attri-
buted to hunting and appreciative
recreation.

One authority reports the value of
hunting as being an "agent of awareness,"
it confirms man's "continuity with the life
of animal populations." Leopold stressed
"cultural values in . . . experiences that re-
new contact with wild things" (such as
hunting) and cited a "split rail value" from
reenactment of earlier history, value from
confrontation with the soil-plant-animal-
man food chain, and values arising from
exercise of the ethical constraints col-
lectively called sportsmanship. Some
critics indicate that killing for pleasure is a
despicable way of recreating oneself, but in
defense of hunting one can stress its
instinctive basis and character building
aspects, and add that killing is really a
subordinate part of the experience for the
true sportsman. Another researcher found
"no blame in the hunter (for killing) as
long as his conscience, ruled by respect for
nature, governs his action."

Writing on the subject thus indicates
little definitive information about the
intangible benefits of hunting, but reveals
extensive speculation and some defensive
reactions to hunting's persistent critics.

The intangible benefits ascribed to
appreciative (and other) types of recrea-
tion are equally descriptive and lack
support by empirical data. The greatest
insights into the intangible benefits of
appreciative recreation relate to wilderness
use where emotional aspects of the
experience are thought to be the most
extreme. The general conclusions seem to
be that wilderness visits are primarily moti-
vated by desire to escape from the
artificiality of civilized surroundings into
natural settings where the necessity for pri-
mitive means of existence results in various
(but undefined) emotional benefits to the
participant. One psychiatrist suggests that
the value of wilderness trips is in the
simplified role playing, reduced status
seeking, and interpersonal competition
during such an experience. One scientist
concludes that "People who enjoy it . . .
attain a sense of rejuvenation. . . Com-
monly, they return with increased vigor,
more optimism, and greater tolerance."
While outdoor recreation does provide
benefits to physical and mental health this
cannot be proven — the value of recreation
to physical and mental health is based on
faith, not on evidence.

Available knowledge on the intangible
benefits of different types of recreation is
thus of little help to resource managers
trying to evaluate the social consequences
of alternative resource uses. More is needed
than just knowing that recreation is good
or that it is a medium for satisfying subtle
human needs. We have no basis for
knowing how important recreation is or if
some types of recreation are better than
others.

Unfortunately, studies of intangible or
external benefits of recreation are virtually
nonexistent although there has been wide-
spread speculation, usually in the form of
arguments for specific uses by deeply
committed clientele.

Rigorous research is needed to provide
some clues to the relative value of alter-
native and conflicting types of recreation
that might be provided.

Increase In Different Types Of Use. One
important criterion for determining the
highest values to which Wildlife Refuges
might be devoted is the relative social pre-
ference for alternative uses.

In the last fifteen years, the Bureau of Out-
door Recreation has found a 57% increase
in walking for. pleasure, a 35% increase in
camping, a 26% increase in hiking and
sightseeing, and an 8% increase in nature
study.

Hunting as a form of recreation is
decreasing, according to studies based on
purchase of licenses. The figures already
available indicate not only a proportional
decrease in hunting but a decrease signifi-
cantly correlated with population
growth."

This trend is not surprising since
hunting seems based on cultural values
rural in origin. Migration to urban centers
precludes the way of life generating
hunting as an expression of values and re-
duced the opportunity for youth to be
introduced to the sport early in life.

On the other hand, appreciative types
of recreation seem likely to increase. Primi-
tive forms of outdoor recreation, such as
wilderness camping, are increasing at much
faster rates than the more domesticated
version of such activity — car camping.
Much of the dramatic increase in
recreation use of the National Parks, and
recent successful passage of legislation to
create more parks and wilderness, is
evidence of increasing awareness and con-
cern of American society for natural
environment areas.

Competition between atJpreciative and
consumptive uses of Wildlitt Refuges will
greatly increase in the years ahead. In the
meantime, policy decisions affecting
appreciative and consumptive recreation
uses must be based, among other things, on
who will benefit and knowledge of parti-
cipation trends.

16

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

PURPLE FINCH

There's a Red Headed Sparrow

By MRS. CARL E. JONSON

T

here's a red-headed sparrow! "--yelled my son's
friend, his mouth full of peanut butter sand-
wich. We were eating lunch in front of our dining room
window, watching the antics at the bird feeder. A
sudden shaft of sunlight turned the brick-colored
crown of one of the birds into a glowing red -and pro-
duced the startled cry from our guest. We hastened to
inform the unenlightened fellow that what he was
seeing was really a house finch.

I must admit that we were not always so know-
ledgeable. When we first noticed Mrs. House Finch
some years ago, we assumed that she was just one more
sparrow. There was nothing distinguished about her
drab, grayish-brown coat, nor did her slender shape and
strong bill seem significant.

Mr. House Finch, though, did interest us. With his
red crown and breast, he was an attractive addition to
our feeder. And when he flew, there was a bright flash
of red on his rump. We looked in the few bird books on
hand and wondered if he were possibly a purple finch
or perhaps a red poll. Neither seemed quite right, so I
telephoned the local Audubon Society and thereby
learned that our mysterious friend was a house finch,
fairly common in this area.

JANUARY, 1977

We felt that the puzzle was not completely solved,
however, as most bird guides listed the house finch as a
western bird. Then an article appeared in Ranger Rick 's
Nature Magazine which cleared up the matter. As I
remember it, a pet store on Long Island had illegally
imported house finch from the west coast. Hearing that
game inspectors were about to visit the store, the
owners released the birds. Surprisingly, the finch not
only survived New York winters but began multiplying.

If the number of house finch that visit our Northern
Virginia yard is indicative, these birds are thriving here.
For hours every day, a dozen or two divide their time
between perching picturesquely in our crepe myrtle
and descending in droves on the feeder. They consume
quantities of sunflower seeds, which - to discourage
starlings - is the only feed we put out. As nonchalantly
as cardinals, the finch crack open the large hulls and
gulp down the kernels. This is usually done during
interludes in what looks like a game of "musical
chairs"; four or five birds flap their wings and hop
around and around the feeder, chirping and jockeying
for position.

How much duller the winter scene would be without
this clan of colorful, energetic finch!

17

Primitive Weapons:

A Modern Challenge

ByBILLWEEKES

Why have special seasons or hunts for primitive
gun hunters? Don't they get enough time to use
their antiquated replicas during the regular open season
when modern gun nimrods also take to the field? Some
feel such special seasons or hunts are superfluous. By
this attitude they intimate that primitive gun hunting
doesn't offer anything "special" for the hunter.

But the "black powder boys" can give a disbeliever
plenty of reasons why their brand of sport is singular.
The reasons include greater challenge, historical signi-
ficance, greater quality hunter opportunity, more
hours of recreation, less expense, and more humane
weaponry for the game target.

The most obvious aspect of this greater challenge in
primitive gun hunting is the fact that the sportsman has
only one quick shot. "Few men with a muzzle loader
are going to shoot into a bush to see what comes
running out," said one hunter. "I have never heard of

18

anyone being accidently shot with a muzzle loader
because this type of hunter has to be so careful with his
first shot that he must know what he's shooting at. "

Many hunters refer to the preparation of their
repHca weapons as a "labor of love." "It is a very per-
sonal sport which allows a man to take up very basic
tools and build a system very uniquely his own," stated
one Tennessee hunter who visits the Old Dominion for
some of his hunting. "By the very nature of his weapon,
the muzzle loading hunter has put in many hours of
practice and study before feeling he and his weapon are
ready for the hunt. "

Patience in stalking game is another part of the
challenge because the effective range with a muzzle
loading rifle is only about 150 yards. "With a primitive
weapon," stated a Virginia hunter, "you must get a lot
closer to the game. There's more stalking, more sport
required."

"Black powder buffs study the history of the muzzle
loaders," one hunter commented. "They do this so

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

they will have a more complete understanding of the
guns they shoot. Also they want to know about the
costumes of the periods during which these guns were
originally used."

The attraction of "quality hunting" is another rea-
son for the growing army of primitive gun nimrods.
Special seasons or hunts for black powder aficionados
come before the regular hunting season in most states.
Also, old gun hunters are still much fewer than those
who hunt with modern firearms. Because of these two
facts, a special season or hunt gives primitive gunners
more freedom in the field. He is not crowded out by
other sportsmen.

Another dimension in primitive gun hunting is more
hours of recreation (because the challenge is greater
and the success lower). As Dr. Henry Mosby, professor
of wildlife science at Virginia Tech and State University
in Blacksburg, envisions it, the future will see more and
more hunters stalking deer on less and less available
land. Yet, to satisfy a growing number of hunters, more

recreation hours will need to be produced. Dr. Mosby
sees in the muzzle loading seasons an answer to ex-
panded recreation time on public land.

The popularity of hunting with primitive guns
blossomed several years ago, according to Don
Harkrader, a gun dealer in Christiansburg. "Several
years ago we didn't even carry black powder, but now
of course we do — in all different granulations. Rephcas
of more and more old guns and the paraphernalia that
goes with them, like percussion caps, powder flasks,
and bullet molds, have been on the market now for
some years.

The ammunition is cheaper for the muzzle loader.
While a modern bullet cartridge costs 35 cents, the old
gun hunter spends only about three cents per shot
(about one-half cent for a piece of shot, one cent for a
powder load and three-fourths of a cent for a cap).

Just how efficient are muzzle loading pieces as
hunting weapons? For both types of muzzle loading
rifles — flintlock and percussion — powder and shot are
loaded down a barrel and packed home with a patch
over a ball which is attached to the end of a ramrod.
With a flintlock — which experienced its heyday in the
18th Century — powder must also be placed on a small
pan near a lever. The spark from the flint hits a piece of
steel or "frizzen", igniting the powder on the pan and
this, in turn, ignites, through a small aperture, the
powder in the barrel. The explosion in the barrel pushes
out the shot. In percussion models the hammer hits a
cap which sparks off the powder inside, which is pro-
tected from the elements.

"The percussion rifles are more popular," com-
mented Harkrader, who last year sold his $1,500
Andrew Kopp original Kentucky rifle made in
Pennsylvania in 1840. "They are less comphcated and
more accurate. With a flintlock you have to follow a
moving target because you never know when the igni-
tion outside will reach the powder inside. With the
percussion you don't have the problem of breaking the
flint or of getting the powder wet."

Primitive gun hunters insist to a man that their guns
are as accurate as a modern piece from 125 to 150 yards
if both guns have open sights. Anti-hunting persons
have been led to believe that primitive guns, because
they are "old", are less accurate, and therefore, less
humane as a killing piece. What these critics don't
realize is that most primitive gun hunters would not
hunt with old originals. These guns are too valuable to
risk damaging in the woods. Primitive gun buffs hunt
with modern replicas of the old originals.

The Witten Fort Rifles of Tazewell County, the
oldest of Virginia's primitive gun clubs, is representa-
tive of the enthusiasm of its members for their sport.
Several members recounted their experiences hunting
with these weapons.

JANUARY, 1977

19

"Of course, you have only one quick shot at a time,"
noted Ernie Hobbs of Kingsport, Tennessee. "I've shot
a deer in the rain when the cap would strike and the
powder would bum, but there was no explosion."

"Using a muzzle loader is altogether a different
sport," stated Don Hagy of Bluefield, owner of more
than 60 guns and veteran of about 15 years of caplock
and flintlock shooting. "I feel if our forefathers could
hunt with these types of guns, we surely should be able
to. I wouldn't be afraid to face any game with a muzzle
loader and it doesn't take me long to reload each time. I
carry charges and patches made out in advance."

"The round ball, because it doesn't move through
the air as easily as the modern bullet, means you've got
to play the wind," observed Andrew J. Witten, charter
member of the Witten Fort group.

Bill Boyd of Mountain Hope, many time old gun
target champion of his native West Virginia, thinks
muzzle loaders are more accurate at 100 yards. "One
year we went to the Huntington Gun Club and they had
to use peep sights on their modern guns and we beat
them all three matches," he recalled.

Muzzle loading hunting is growing. Membership in
the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association has
increased 50 percent in the last four years to its present
19,000. These members emanate from more than 200
charter target shooting clubs of which five are found in
Virginia.

In 1973 the Old Dominion joined eleven other
southeastern states in providing special seasons for the
primitive gun hunters. This came about at the request
of these hunters.

During the first three seasons in this program here,
Virginia primitive gun hunters were allowed the ex-
clusive use of Clinch Mountain, Gathright and Goshen-
Little North Mountain Wildlife Management Areas.
This year, for the first time, black powder nimrods
were allowed to use in addition, the G. Richard
Thompson Management Area and portions of the
Jefferson National Forest.

According to data compiled by Joe Coggin of the
Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries, the esti-
mated number of hunters in 1973 was 631; in 1974,
826; and in 1975,900. Hunter success was 3.8 percent,
5.6 percent and 3.6 percent, with 24, 46 and 32 deer
harvested, respectively.

A muzzle loading gun used in Virginia must be a
single shot side lock percussion weapon only (no under
or center hammers), firing a single projectile loaded
from the muzzle of the weapon and propelled by at
least 50 grains of black powder. No telescopic sights are
allowed.

In addition to Witten Fort, primitive gun clubs in
Virginia include the Blue Ridge Buckskinners of
Harrisonburg; the Shenandoah Long Hunters of
Charlottesville; and the Turkey Creek Longrifles of
Richmond.

20

Henry
Mosby

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PIONEER
Bv BILL COCHRAN

Mr. Henry S. Mosby, a name synonymous with wildlife man-
agement in Virginia for more than 30 years, stepped down
as head of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Virginia
Tech this year.

In 1978, Mosby will reach retirement age, and until then he
prefers teaching and research to the paper shuffling duties of a
department head. Dr. Gerald H. Cross, a wildlife extension
specialist, succeeded Mosby.

Mosby began his career as a state wildlife biologist, working
on an extensive turkey project in 1939. He has pioneered many
wildlife practices. In 1947, he began teaching and conducting
wildlife research at Tech. Many of his students now manage the
state's wildlife resources, as employees of the Virginia Com-
mission of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The past week, while peering over his reading glasses and
tampering with his reluctant pipe, Mosby commented on a
number of wildlife subjects :

The Antihunting Movement: I think the general public, in
reacting to all of the violence that we see so much of in news-
papers and on TV and elsewhere, is assuming that all forms of
killing should be discounted or avoided.

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

The fact is, and I don't think even sportsmen fully realize this,
you cannot stockpile wildlife. It builds up and goes down each
and every year. And if man doesn't make use of a reasonable
segment of it, it is going to be lost anyway.

Here on the college farm, we closely observed quail for a
number of years, from October until spring. With no man-caused
mortality, we found that on the average 55 percent of the birds
present in the fall disappeared from natural causes by spring.

Regardless of however we may wish it were not so, all wild
animals die a violent death, one way or another. The question is
whether they be quickly dispatched in a sporting way or per-
mitted to die of starvation, disease, accidents or some other
cause.

I have a whole lot of compassion for those that die a lingering
death, and I'm not too certain that a quick dispatch by a hunter
may not be a far more humane way. I know that most of the
antihunting sentiment is emotional and I can appreciate this, but
who are those who object the loudest to fish kills or deer star-
vation or who are those who take food out to wildlife in the
wintertime? It is the hunter, not the nonhunter.

The Greatest Game Management Accomplishments: Beyond
question the deer restoration program and to a lessei- extent the
turkey restoration programs have been the two most dramatic
wildlife management accomplishments in Virginia.

In the western part of the state, prior to the mid-30s, all deer
•had disappeared except for one small group in Bath County with
some spillover into Alleghany County. All your deer present in
the mountains of Western Virginia have been re-established since
1940. The main push involved about 2,000 deer. At present, we
are hai-vesting about 20,000 to 25,000 annually in this section of
the state.

Also the turkeys were wiped out southwest of Craig County
down to Lee County. The turkey has been re-established by live
trapping and stocking, through forest management progrmns
and game protection. "^

Squirrel Laws: The squirrel laws in Virginia defy any lo^cal
explanation. The color-coded map used to designate the many
different seasons looks as if someone had given a six-year-old kid
a bunch of crayons and a map of Virginia and told him to start
coloring the map, using any color that came to mind.

Most of the difficulty with the squirrel laws is not the result
of fuzzy thinking on the part of the State Game Commission,
but is the result of laws passed by the General Assembly for some
individual in a particular county who thinks his season is more
desirable than another.

Some counties have had a September season for 25 years, the
adjoining county has had an October season for an equal time
and still others have had a November season. No one has been
able to detect any overall difference in squirrel populations.
Now a 25 year experiment is a reasonable period of time.

If game populations produce a removable surplus, it is good
conservation to remove as large a proportion of the surplus in a
recreation effort as possible, so long as we are assured that it does
not adversely affect the population. The squirrel hunter can do
this best in September, because that is when squirrels congregate
at mast producing trees.

Now in September, a percentage of the adult females may
not have completely weaned their young and that is an objection
to an early season. But if you put the season off later in the fall,
the possibility of harvesting a reasonable number of squirrels
diminishes.

The average number of squirrels lost each year whether you
hunt them or not runs between 40 and 50 per cent. Even with
the early season, according to all the studies that have been made
that I am aware of, you don't harvest more than about 10 to 15
per cent. The later the season, the smaller the harvest. To let
natural causes remove that great a percentage just doesn't make
sense. I'd recommend a Sept. 1 season.

Special Seasons: If a hunter gets his jollies out playing Robin
Hood or out hunting with a muzzle loader, and he is completely
satisfied with his outdoor experience, why not permit him that
opportunity. We are in the recreation business.

Now statements often are made that the special seasons (bow-
hunfing and muzzle loading) are set just for special groups. The
fact is, anyone who wants can join that group. These seasons
require special equipment, but don't restrict who may use that
equipment.

It is a matter of making hunting a more sporting proposition
and less a killing one. There is no evidence of any kind in the
country that I am aware of that shows archers or muzzle loaders
have had any serious impact on game species.

Fall Turkey Regulations: I was very sorry to see the fall
turkey season contain regulations that require the taking of
gobblers only. I don't think this is practical, because it simply
isn't feasible to distinguish between a hen and a gobbler while
hunting in the fall.

I think you destroy a good bit of a hunter's recreation if you
put him into a position where he is afraid he is going to break a
law even if he doesn't want to. If you don't have enough turkeys
to justify aneither-sex fall season,! would suggest just eliminating
the season entirely.

Forestland Management: The brightest future of wildlife man-
agement will be in forestland game (deer, turkeys, squirrel), not
farmland game (rabbits, quail).

At the present time, livestock is the best economic promise
for the majority of farmers. Livestock production and wildlife
production on the same area seldom works. So long as there is
livestock production, with its heavy utilization of cover by gra-
zing and hay production, you just about can count on elimi-
nating quail and rabbits.

On the other hand, good forestry practices are compatible
with wildlife management practices. I think Virginia pretty well
has recognized this, and the most emphasis is placed on forest
wildlife management. One of the virtues here in Virginia is the
excellent cooperative agreement between the state and forest
service for the management of more than one and one-half
million acres of national forest land.

Exotic Game Species: The chance of finding an exotic game
species that will really contribute to hunting is very remote.
We've been through that, and I think most exotic introductions
are going to receive a very skeptical eye from now on. The possi-
bility of better managing native species is so much superior. The
chance of committing an error with an exotic is often great.

Management of Nongame Species. In the past, 98 to 99 per
cent of the wildlife management practices were strictly for game
species. Game remains the most substantially supported species,
but recently nonconsumptive species have been receiving greater
consideration.

A number of states have attempted to raise special funds for
nongame wildlife. Most state agencies derive their wildlife funds
from the hunter and fisherman, and there is the feeling that this
money should be spent on species that are his primary concern.

Of course, many game programs benefit nongame species.
Waterfowl refuges are a typical example. They are funded by
sportsmen almost entirely for waterfowl, but just look at all the
other wildlife that also benefits.

You can not benefit game without benefiting nongame
species. This is something sportsmen have said all along. But it
can work the other way, too. Many programs specifically for
nongame could benefit game.

The Wild Turkey: To me it is a fascinating bird, because it can
be one of the smartest creatures, then turn around and do some
of the most stupid things.

I'm still looking for some of the stupid ones, but most I have
encountered have been considerably smarter than I am.

JANUARY, 1977

21

TO> MS...

A Conglomeration of Comments, Cumshaw and Cogitation

... A PERSON OUGHT TO HAVE
ONE!

If you are truly interested in the
status of endangered wildlife there is
a free publication which you should
be getting. Write the Department of
The Interior, U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Endangered Species Pro-
gram, Washington, D.C. 20240 and
request you start receiving:
"Endangered Species Technical Bul-
letin."

Do-it-yourselfers take note

there is now available a new brick
system which will enable you to
easily construct those neat back-
yard (or inside) building projects
which you have been putting off.
Mortarless and interlocking, the 4-
inch and 8-inch-wide bricks come in
a variety of colors. Your finished
product will take you less time by
about one-half, cost much less and
the neighbors will probably ask for
the name of your "contractor." For
details contact: Zip Brick, Inc.,
Dept. PP, 10439 Garibaldi, St.
Louis, Mo. 63131.

Winter Weather and the higher
(and dryer) indoor temperatures
brings about the dry house condition
which not only makes living un-
comfortable but often results in
cracked walls and furniture and can

even cause wallpaper to peel.
Additionally, if you are like me, the
situation actually becomes
'shocking' with every metal object a
potential source of electrocution.
Research Products Corporation,
Madison, Wis. 53701 has a free book-
let entitled Humidification Facts
which might be the source of an
answer to the problem of 'Desert
Domicile'.

If you are looking for a new and
different way of planning your next
outing, hike, fishing trip or what-
ever, consider the use of aerial
photography. Land use patterns are
readily discernible through the use
of high-altitude, quad-centered
aerial photographs. Additionally,
the various types of vegetation can
be interpreted and even property
lines are recognizable. For infor-
mation on what coverage of Virginia
is available and even suggestions for
the use of the existing coverage
(nearly 4/5 of the state has already
been photographed) write to the
Virginia Division of Mineral Re-
sources, Box 3667-S, Charlottesville,
Va. 22901.

For Fifty Cents and 24 cents post-
age, you can obtain a very interesting
and educational Virginia American
Revolutionary War Map. Published
by the Virginia Independence
Bicentennial Commission in cooper-
ation with the Virginia Highway
Department, the multi-colored map
traces the routes taken in 1780-81
by Generals Rochambeau and
George Washington. Also listed on
the map is a chronology of Revo-
lutionary events which are Virginia-
related beginning with the defeat of
the Shawnee Indians in the year
1774 to the 1781 Cornwallis defeat
at Yorktown. Chances are you might

have killed your last deer or turkey
on what had been an Indian Fort
back in those misty times. It's worth
checking out. Contact the VIBC,
Box 1976, Yorktown, Va. 23690.

. . . .For Your Book Shelf

These long winter nights, which
are traditionally for 'catalog-ing'
through the L. L. Beans, the Herter's
and the multitude of similar goodies,
are also the times when a good book
is irreplaceable. Such a book, and
one that will start your planning pro-
cesses early and could cause no small
amount of cabin fever is Hiking
Trails in the Mid-Atlantic States.
This little gem done by Edward B.
Garvey from Falls Church, Virginia
is 212 pages of detailed information
and suggestions for the person who is
a dyed-in-the-wool backpacker or
one who just gets out occasionally.
Covered in the book, in addition to
suggestions that range from what to
purchase (equipment-wise) to safety
hints, are details including mileages
of trails in Virginia, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware
and New Jersey. Costing $5.95 this
valuable paperback is available from
The Great Lakes Living Press, 3634
W. 216th St. Matteson, Illinois
60443.

. . . .And Then

Did you know that birds are cap-
able of reaching some pretty respect-
able altitudes? According to records
of the National Audubon Society
the normal flight pattern is at 3,000
feet or below. However a bearded
vulture was sighted at 25,000 feet
over the Himalayas and a Western
Airlines Electra 'collected' a mallard
duck some time ago at a recorded
altitude of 21,000 feet.

22

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

Wildlife

Management Area

A classic farm fence leads sportsmen into the Rappahannock Wildlife Management Area.

By J. E. THORNTON

The Rappahannock Wildhfe Management Area,
consisting of approximately 3,900 acres, is the
most recent in the Commission's program to provide
public hunting and fishing opportunities throughout
Virginia. It is particularly important because of its
strategic location, being close to the heavily populated
centers of Northern Virginia.

It is located in the southeast corner of Fauquier
County approximately 18 miles south of Warrenton
and about 7 miles from Remington on Route 651. The
Commission obtained possession, for all practical pur-
poses, in January, 1976, with one additional tract being
acquired in June of 1976. So, details of the plans for
the management of this wildlife unit are just now
beginning to take shape, and implementation of the
plan is just getting underway.

The Rappahaimock Wildlife Management Unit is
ideally suited for a public hunting and fishing area.
About 80 percent of it is in forest land, consisting
mostly of cutover mixed hardwood and scattered
stands of scrub pine. The remaining portions are in
cropland and grass. The wildlife found here consists of
white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, grey squirrels, and an
occasional ruffed grouse. Bobwhite quail and cotton-
tail rabbits are found in fair numbers scattered through-
out the crop and grass lands. The Rappahannock River,

JANUARY, 1977

making up the southern border of the unit is one of the
unique features of the unit. Fair populations of game
fish in the sunfish family (small and largemouth bass,
red breasted sunfish) and mixtures of rough fish pro-
vide reasonably good fishing. It is a popular river with
canoeists and is considered one of the best canoeing
rivers in the State. It goes through one of the most
beautiful and unspoiled sections of the State; and to
the dedicated canoeist, it presents scenery and vistas
that are hard to match anywhere. Being a "navigable
stream," it is public water and is used extensively by
Whitewater enthusiasts. A pond of about 4 acres just
behind the main residence provides limited pond
fishing (bass, bluegills).

Management of the area is being directed toward
creating a diversity of food and cover and to provide
protection for the wildlife found there. Fields which
lend themselves to the production of agricultural crops
will be planted to corn, soybeans, and small grain on a
rotation basis. The fields will be worked through a
leasing arrangement with local farmers, with the Com-
mission's share of the crop being left in the field as
wildlife food and cover. Some fields in the future will
be managed to provide for dove shooting, while others
will be managed to provide other small game habitat.

A powerline right-of-way being developed by the
Virginia Electric and Power Company crosses the area
for about 3 miles. It will be planted by the VEPCO

23

The 4'/4-milcs uf llie Rappahannock River downstream from the Kelly's Ford Bridge that pass through the Rappahannock Wildlife
Management Area are prime canoeing waters.

people in accordance with recommendations proposed
by the Commission to provide the maximum in the way
of wildHfe food. This right-of-way will provide much
needed open space through the wooded portions of the
unit along with additional food and cover. Additional
clearings are planned for the forested areas in the form
of "dayhghting" many of the old logging roads and CCC
fire trails found there. This will consist of pushing back
the vegetation for as much as 100 feet on each side of
the road, and planting to wildlife mixtures of grasses,
clovers, and lespedezas.

In addition to its use for public hunting and fishing,
the area is proving to be a popular place for field trials,
and a number of bird dog field trials have already been
held. Some additional travel lanes for field trial use will
be made and treated the same as other improvements,
but will, in no way, interfere with the use of the area for
hunting or fishing.

Due to its cutover condition, relatively little timber
management will be done on the area in the near future,
and then only to improve wildlife habitat. Small acre-
ages of forest land that consist of young growth or have
little timber growth will be opened up with heavy
equipment and, where appropriate, burned under con-
trolled conditions to provide additional openings for
small game and browse for deer. Other areas treated in a
similar manner will be planted to pine in small patches

to provide cover. All such areas will be seeded to
Korean lespedeza.

Access to the river will be provided on the upper end
of the property in the vicinity of Marsh Run where a
boat landing is to be built along with a parking lot.
Eventually, a similar boat landing and parking lot will
be built on the lower end of the property along with
vehicular access to permit persons using the River to
leave the River on the lower end of the property.

Although plans for developing the area are pretty
well along, they are a long way from being fully imple-
mented. Vehicles will not be allowed on the area
itself"but parking areas will be provided at convenient
locations along Route 651 . These special provisions are
necessary because of the heavy hunting pressure that is
anticipated. Camping, as in the case of all other Com-
mission-owned property is not permitted because of
the lack of sanitary provisions and other accommo-
dations.

The management of this newest of the new public
hunting area in Northern Virginia presents a challenge
in game and fish management. Its location and diversity
of habitat should be a real asset to the hunters and
fishermen of Virginia. At any rate the Rappahannock,
along with the G. Richard Thompson and theRapidan
management units should go a long way toward
meeting the demands for public outdoor recreation in
the form of hunting and fishing in Northern Virginia.

24

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

^Birdofthe^onth

The
Barred

Owl

By J. W. TAYLOR

The barred owl is author of some of the strangest
sounds ever to issue from the Virginia woods. One
bird can sound weird enough, but when two (or some-
times three) join in chorus, or in overlapping anti-
phony, the result can be downright unearthly.

Ordinarily, the call of this owl is simple enough,
though always poignant, mysterious. There is a burst of
deep, resonant hoots, trailing off at the end. Usually,
there are eight notes, two series of four with a brief
pause between. The last two run together, a strongly
accented hoot rising in pitch and then sliding down the
scale.

However, when the birds are under the influence-of
love, territorial conflict, or perhaps merely the full
moon-the sound is transformed into something un-
canny. There are hisses, laughs and cackles, dog-like
whelps and cat-like screams. One listener described
them as demoniac ravings. When two or more are to-
gether, they try to outdo each other. Yet, there is a
boisterous, mirthful quality to it all, suggesting that it's
all in fun.

To hear such performances, one must venture into
heavily wooded country. For, unlike the screech owl,
the barred owl is no suburbanite. It likes the deep
forests, be they low, wet bottomlands or high moun-

tain ridges. In Virginia they seem equally at home in
both situations, though farther south are associated
chiefly with river swamps.

As is generally the case with owls, they are more
often heard than seen. But, once seen, they are readily
identifiable. There are no large "ear" tufts Hke those of
the great horned, the other large owl frequent in these
parts. The general coloration is chocolate brown,
spotted, barred and streaked with whites and Hght
ochres. The markings are transverse on the breast,
lengthwise on the belly and flanks. Dark eyes are set in
a large, rounded head.

The barred owl preys little on poultry or game. Small
mammals, particularly mice, form the bulk of its diet,
which also includes reptiles, amphibians and insects.
Some birds are taken when other, more favored food is
scarce.

Early nesters, this owl may begin courtship activity
in February and have a full clutch of eggs by mid-
March. The preferred nesting site is a natural cavity or
hollowed tree, but they wUl at times appropriate old
hawks' and crows' nests. One pair was seen to set up
housekeeping in the nest of a grey squirrel.

26

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

What to Feed a Bird

By EMILY GREY

While most wildlife graduate students worked
diligently in the field, laboratory, or classroom
during the winter of 1975-76, 1 lounged back with my
binoculars in a comfortable chair or car seat and per-
formed the most enjoyable task of watching birds eat.
Incredible as it might seem, no study to my knowledge
had been conducted in the same manner as this one.
The two objectives of my experiment were: to deter-
mine which kinds of seeds are preferred by which
species of birds, by counting the number of birds by
species at a given feeder during a specific unit of time;

and to recommend a formula for bird feed mix which
would yield a maximum number of bird clientele
during a period of time at a minimum cost.

At each of my three study sites, two sheets of
exterior plywood (4x8 feet) were elevated on posts 18
inches above the ground. Initially, 16 artificial lantern-
type feeders, purchased from Rubbermaid Incorpo-
rated, Wooster, Ohio, were secured onto the plywood
tables. Feeders were 2 feet apart, and each was sepa-
rated by wooden strips (1x1 inch) to prevent loss of
seed and mixing of seeds from adjacent feeders. White

JANUARY, 1977

27

When whole peanuts and sunflower were removed from this
feeder, hluejay visits were reduced substantially.

It is not surprising that the evening grosbeak prefers sunflower.
Visits dropped considerably when this foodstuff was not avail-
able.

The outstanding selection by cardinals was sunflower. When this
food was removed, the cardinal dined o.n combine milo and to a
lesser extent on hegari milo.

numbers (1-16) were painted on top and on one side of
each feeder for seed identification. Each feeder was
filled and maintained with a different seed type.

Two 20-minute observations were made daily at
each of three study sites beginning one-half hour after
sunrise. Bird use of food material was measured by
recording those birds seen, by species, within the con-
fines of the compartment of each feeder.

Sixteen varieties of seeds were tested: browntop
millet, German millet, Japanese millet, pearl millet,
proso millet, combine milo, hegari milo, wheat, buck-
wheat, oat groats, peanut hearts, whole peanuts, corn
(finely cracked), rape, cracked rice and sunflower.
Seeds were maintained in the feeders at all times during
the experiment, giving birds constant access to food.
When the seed level dropped to a reference point on a
feeder, seed was added and this volume was recorded
by seed types. The amount of food material remaining
in the feeders was measured at the end of each week to
determine the volume of food consumed and/or
wasted.

Visits by red-bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted
nuthatches, Carolina wrens, a brown thrasher, house
finches, American goldfinches, rufous-sided towhees,
and a field sparrow were relatively infrequent. How-
ever, data revealed preferences among certain species.
Red-bellied woodpeckers, house finches, and rufous-
sided towhees were counted most often at sunflower
seeds. White-breasted nuthatches preferred whole pea-
nuts while Carolina wrens selected mainly whole
peanuts and peanut hearts.

Cost is an important consideration in selecting an
individual seed type of mix. Because starlings and
house sparrows utilized some foods much more than
other birds, I elected to make comparisons of visits
excluding these two species.

When comparing cost per pound, total visits, and
visits per cost of the six mixes with the individual seed

28

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

EXPERIMEIMT DATA

BIRD SPECIES

FIRST CHOICE
(of 16 varieties
of seeds) )

SECOND CHOICE
(of individual
seed types)

PREFERRED MIXES

COMMERCIAL
MIXES

Mourning Dove

proso millet

buckwheat
hegari millet

proso millet
SPC*

HPW*
Type 1*

Chickadee
Fufted titnnouse

sunflower
shole peanuts

showed little preference for any

other type

of seed

Starling

peanut hearts

oat groats

corn

corn

House Sparrow

proso millet

German millet

proso millet
HPW*

proso millet
HPW*

Common Crackle

not observed during first three phases until migration into
Blacksburg area during Phase IV

sunflower

Cardinal

sunflower

combine milo

sunflower

sunflower
Type 1 1 *

Evening grosbeak

sunflower

no identifiable second
choice

sunflower
SPC*

sunflower
SPC*

Purple Finch

sunflower

no identifiable second
choice

sunflower

sunflower

White-crowned sparrow

German millet

this species sanr

no identifiable second
choice
ipled a wide variety of seeds

proso millet
HCC*,SPC*,

HPW*

proso millet
Type ir,
Typer.SPC

White-throated sparrow

proso millet pearl millet sunflower
this species sampled a wide variety of seeds

Type II*

Song Sparrow

proso millet
German millet

proso millet
German millet

proso millet
German millet

SPC*

SPC — sunflower-proso millet-corn

SGW — sunflower-German millet-wheat

HGC — hegari milo-German millet-corn

HPW — hegari milo-proso millet-wheat

*Type I mix — white millet-red millet (varieties of proso

millet)- cracked corn - oats - milo - sunflower
*Type II mix — white millet-red millet-sunflower-whole

peanuts-peanut hearts-rice-canary seed-

milo-buckwheat

types, the cost per pound of the mixes is usually less
and the number of visits is higher. When comparing the
number of starlings and house sparrows attracted to
individual seeds and mixes, it appears that fewer of
these two nuisance species were attracted to certain
mixes, particularly at SPC and HGC. Perhaps it may be
more economical to purchase the individual ingredients
and develop a mix.

The two commercial mixes might be purchased by
persons who object to buying individual ingredients.
The Type I mix is available locally at the retail price.
The analysis indicates, however, that the Type I mix
ranked lowest among the mixes in the visits-per-cost
evaluation. The Type II mix attracted a sizable number
of starlings and house sparrows, but received a visits-
per-cost rating nearly identical to the highest rated mix,
SPC.

SPC attracted a maximum number of birds per dollar
spent. It attracted 14 bird species, a greater variety of
birds than the other mixes and most of the individual
seed types, with the exception of sunflower, which
attracted 15 species. Even though it contained proso

millet, which was very attractive to house sparrows
when offered alone, SPC was less appealing to house
sparrows and starlings than the other mixes.

On the basis of these findings, SPC, consisting per-
haps of 50 percent sunflower, 35 percent proso millet,
and 15 percent finely cracked corn, might be an
optimum bird seed mix for Blacksburg and the re-
mainder of Virginia. This optimum mix might be
subject to change because it is possible that other un-
tested seed types might have equal or greater appeal to
a maximum number and species of birds at a minimum
cost.

Emily Grey received her Master of Science
degree in Wildlife Management in 1976 from
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University. Becoming an interpretive naturalist
is her employment ambition. Nonconsumptive
wildlife, writing and photography are among
her primary interests, and at a later time she
wishes to try teaching. Ms. Grey makes her
home on Virginia's Eastern Shore in Poplar
Cove.

JANUARY, 1977

29

f

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7

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30

COM

Trout

By DENNIS ANDERSON

In a time when man seems to be destroying the
earth more than improving it, there's always that
spark of hope when one sees man and nature living
together.

The Powell river in Southwest Virginia was, in its
day, no doubt, a well balanced cold water stream. How-
ever, around the turn of the century when uncontrolled
coal mining began this all but wiped out the river's
delicate hfe system. Siltation and acidity can, in a
matter of hours, ruin a river.

These early miners had little if any consideration for
the Powell or those who would use it in the future.
They simply saw it as a kind of garbage disposal. Every-
thing from acid mining runoff to last week's trash was
put into the Powell's tributaries. This no doubt
destroyed the native brook trout population since they
are very demanding in their requirements for survival.
While coal was bringing "hope" to the people of this
area they were killing a vital resource.

Not until as recently as 1966 were any environ-
mental controls put on coal mining. These first laws,
inacted by concerned coal companies and citizens,
were very weak but laid the foundation for future laws.

The hope is seen as once again the Powell river has
become suitable for trout.

The Virginia Coal Surface Mining Law has begun
enforcing ecological safeguards on strip miners. Things
such as sediment ponds, rocky drains, limestone treat-
ment of acid water and quick vegetation all help to
minimize the adverse effects of strip mining on the
Powell river. The only problem remaining to be solved
is the unrestricted mining of deep mine coal that also
adversely affects the Powell.

The Virginia Commission of Game and Inland
Fisheries now stocks the river annually. The majority
of the fish stocked are rainbow trout, but some brook
and brown are put in also. This year alone, trout were
stocked in the Powell three times. Many a fisherman in
Southwest Virginia, and even from Kentucky, enjoy
the picturesque views and the challenge of trout fishing
on the Powell river. It's an encouraging thing to see a
sportsman pulling out a nice rainbow and see a coal
mining operation all on the same river. Maybe there is
hope.

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

W^mmimmf^ E^®,

Edited by Mel White

Walter H. Cheek, of Mount Hope,
West Virginia, has owned 55 con-
secutive out-of-state hunting
licenses. Mr. Cheek is optimistic
about the hunting in Virginia. As he
sees it, "Be the Lord's will, we'll have
a good hunt this year. "

The paintings and drawings of Miss
Lucile Walton of Danville have
enhanced the pages of Virginia Wild-
life's "In Nature's Garden" page for
several years. This fall Dr. Allan A.
Hoffman, Commissioner, presented
Miss Walton's water color "Autumn
Olive" to the Garden Club of
Virginia. Pictured are (left to right):
Mrs. Landon Wyatt, President of
Gabriella Garden Club of Danville,
Dr. Allan A. Hoffman, Com-
missioner, and Mrs. Toy Savage,
President of the Garden Club of
Virginia. The painting will reside at
the Kent-Valentine House in
Richmond.

GAME COMMISSION TO
PROPOSE FISH AND BOAT LAW
CHANGES JANUARY 14

The GEime Commission wUl hold a
public hearing beginning at 9:30
a.m., January 14, 1977 at 4010 West
Broad Street in Richmond. The main
purpose will be to entertain sug-
gestions for changes in the State
fishing and boating laws. Following
this regulations for the 1976-1977
fiscal year will be proposed. Recom-
mendations for changes in hunting
and trapping laws will be considered
at a similar hearing February 25.
Final action will also be taken on the
fish and boat law proposals at this
time. Persons unable to attend these
meetings may submit their sug-
gestions or comments by mail in
advance.

Dr. Orby Southard, a resident of
Boone, North Carolina, bagged this
21-pound turkey in Grayson County
during the 1976 spring turkey sea-
son. The bird had a 9y2-inch beard.

JANUARY, 1977

31

Edited by Gail Hackman

CAN A HUMMINGBIRD FLY BACKWARDS?
Yes. A hummingbird flies deep into flower
tubes, poises there on beating wings while it
feeds, and then shps backward out of the
flower in a straight reverse flight. What makes
the hummingbird so maneuverable? It can turn
its wings over.

A squirrel can use its plumy tail as a make-shift
parachute. If it falls accidentally, a squirrel can
fall 50 to 60 feet to the earth without suffering
any injury.

j-wr

ANIMALS AND THEIR TALES

When chipmunks carry acorns in
their cheeks, why don't the nuts'
sharp points scratch them? Because a
chipmunk neatly nips off acorn tips
before stuffing the nuts into its
cheek pouches.

Beavers use their tails for three things: as swimmin
rudders, to prop themselves up while gnawing treesi
and to sound alarm signals on the water to wanj
other beavers of danger.

Philpott:

Virginias Toughest Lake

mmMmmmm

i

V**"

-.*;.

Typical view of the cold, clear waters of Philpott Lake.

ByBOBGOOCH

Tills is Virginia's tougliest lal^e." Coming from
tlie lips of Jimmy Cannoy tiiat statement hiad
tlie ring of credibility.

We were fishing picturesque Philpott Reservoir deep
in the Blue Ridge foothills of Franklin, Henry and
Patrick counties. Jimmy, from nearby Collinsville,
fishes the lake regularly. Philpott is also the home lake
of the Henry County Bassmasters, the oldest bass club
in Virginia. Cannoy, a charter member of the club,
serves as vice-president. But Jimmy knows the lake well
and we were catching bass. "Claytor Lake is the second
toughest," he added.

It was a cool, clear morning in early May, the down-
hill slope of the peak of the spring bass fishing Philpott.
Jimmy feels April is the top month on the deep
mountain reservoir, but he also likes to fish it in
November.

Philpott Lake is one of the oldest of a series of reser-
voirs along the Roanoke River Basin. Others are Smith
Mountain, Leesville, Buggs Island, and Gaston in
Virginia and Roanoke Rapids in North Carolina. Both
Buggs Island and Gaston straddle the Virginia-North
Carolina border.

Philpott, named for the Henry County village of
Philpott a few miles downstream from the lake, was
authorized as a U. S. Army Corps of Engineers flood
control project by the Congress of 1944. Construction
of the dam was started in 1948 and completed in 1953.

JANUARY, 1977

The sparkling 3,000-acre lake is 15 miles long and
boasts a 100-mile winding shoreline that dips in and out
of hundreds of deep, narrow coves. The crowns of
flooded hills form Deer and Turkey Islands in the broad
lower section of the lake.

With a 220-foot dam the lake has many acres of deep
water, a major factor contributing to its tough fishing
reputation. And draining the forested Blue Ridge
Mountains and foothills, the water is crystal clear,
another feature that bugs the angler.

We kicked off our fishing that bright spring morning
by tossing surface and shallow running lures to one of
Jimmy's pet shorelines. "The surface fishing is good
this time of year," he said as we worked the forested
shoreline, dropping our lures hard by fallen trees,
debris and other available cover.

My partner got the first action, a spunky little large-
mouth bass that leaped clear of the sparkling water and
threw the lure. Jimmy hooked and lost several others
before I finally got a taste of the action. Somehow I
held onto my fish, and a 14-incher went into the live
well of Jimmy's bass boat.

Most bass fishermen like slightly colored water,
water that conceals them from the fish. This is a
condition that rarely exists in clear mountain lakes.
Getting within casting range of the fish without
spooking them is a major problem and one that contri-
butes to the tough quality of the mountain fishing.

The fish were near the surface that May morning on
Philpott, and when they are hitting well on the top they

33

present no real problems — except for being difficult to
approach in the gin -clear water.

The weather can be a help here. For example, a Ught
breeze that ripples the surface breaks up the angler's
outline, though the boat may be hard to control in a
stiff wind. A light rain can be better as it pelts the
surface — again breaking up the angler's outline.
Another solution is to fish during the dawn and dusk
hours when the visibility is poor — or at night.

The clear water calls for light tackle and thin lines.
Longer rods and lighter lines permit longer casts and
the light line is less visible to the fish.

Many anglers fish the deep, clear lakes with ultralight
tackle and lines in the 4 to 6-pound class as opposed to
the 18 to 20-pound lines many bassmen prefer. Also
important to mountain lake fishing are lighter lures — 4
to 6-inch plastic worms, and ^4-ounce crank and spinner
baits. I found a light Rapala effective on those Phil pott
bass. Lures should be of subtle colors. Natural finishes
are good. The clear water gives the bass an opportunity
for a critical look at the lure. Smoke, clear and light
blue worms are best in clear water — and they should be
small as indicated earlier.

Another key to success in the deep lakes is locating
key structure in shallow water — and there is precious
little such water. The paucity of shallow water can
work to the angler's advantage, however, as it forces the
bass to concentrate. "Ninety percent of the water in a
mountain lake is no good to a bass," one bassing friend
told me.

Jimmy Cannoy and I concentrated our efforts along
the shoreline where there is a minimum of shallow
water. We didn't try anything else for the simple reason
that the action was good near the shore.

Most mountain reservoirs feature small mountain
peaks or hills barely covered by the impounded waters,
and these usually hold fish. Topographic maps of the
lake, or depth finders help the angler locate them.

Cannoy, a vocational teacher in the Henry County
school system, Hkes to fish at night during the hot
summer months. Then he prefers such noisy surface
lures as jitterbugs, or black worms and spinnerbaits for
fishing deep.

In many mountain lakes live minnows or other
natural baits produce most of the fish — and often the
very largest. While some anglers fish natural baits off
the points or permit them to sink slowly along the steep
rocky banks, others drift them just above the bottom in
water 20 to 30 feet deep.

In addition to minnows, crawfish, spring lizards,
salamanders, leeches and grubs of various kinds will
take both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Heavy spring rains often muddy the coves and upper
stretches of Philpott and otherTnountain lakes, and
when this happens the bass angler can resort to the
methods he is more accustomed to using so successfully
in the lowland lakes.

Author Bob Gooch with a stringer of Philpott Lake bass.

While Philpott may be the toughest lake in the state
to fish it is probably the best with respect to fishing
facilities and accommodations. Both boat docks and
ramps are excellent and well spaced. Parking space for
automobiles and boat trailers is spacious.

Ramps are located all around the lake from Bowens
Creek near the dam to Runnett Bag near the head-
waters of the long, narrow lake. The Twin Ridge
Marina, a Corps of Engineers Concessionaire, offers
boat and motor rentals. There are at least a dozen
campgrounds on the lake, most of which are operated
by the Corps of Engineers.

Unlike so many flood control reservoirs there is
limited draw down of the surface level of Philpott,
usually only 2 to 3 feet.

In addition to the approximately 3,000 acres of
water which may spread to 4,000 at flood stage, the
Corps of Engineers owns approximately 7,000 acres of
the surrounding land, most of which is open to hunting
and other recreational pursuits.

Jimmy Cannoy and I found the largemouth bass the
most cooperative that May day, possibly because we
were fishing mostly on the top, but the lake is equally
as good for smallmouth bass. In fact the lake gives up
few citation largemouth bass, but lunker Philpott
smallmouths are conspicuous among the fish entered in
the citation program of the Commission of Game and
Inland Fisheries. As of this writing a 6-pound, 1-ouncer
taken in April holds second place in the 1976 contest.

Philpott also holds good brown and rainbow trout,
and trout are stocked annually in the cool mountain
waters. Most trout anglers troll deep or fish at night
using natural baits. Bluegills, crappie and other panfish
round out a rich variety of fishing.

Tough and challenging, but a joy to fish — that's
Philpott Lake.

34

VIRGINIA WILDLIFE

V Edited by Jim Kerrick

WINTERIZING YOUR BOAT —
MOTOR -TRAILER

Now is the time for all skippers to
check to insure that all equipment is
ready for the off season. If you are
storing your rig at home here are a
few reminders that could save you
money and em harassment.

1. Remove the drain plug so
water will not remain in the bottom
of the boat.

2. Block up the tongue of your
trailer so the bow is higher than the
stem.

3. If you cover your boat with a
tarp be sure there is a free flow of £dr
throughout the boat.

4. Remove all anchor Hnes and
personal flotation devices from the
boat and store them in a dry place.

5. Check the keel of your boat
for builtup dirt and grime. If any is
evident remove and give the hull a
good coating of wax.

6. Check your steering controls
and if dry, grease them with an all
weather grease.

7. Remove and drain the gasoline
tanks from the boat and store them
in a dry place. Fixed tanks should be
drained.

Add gear lubricant recommended through
the filler hole in the lower gear case.

8. Start your motor without
hookup to your tanks and run all of
the gasoline out of the motor. Con-
tact your marine dealer and obtain
an additive that can be put in the
motor to keep the motor from
freezing up.

9. Be sure that the lower unit of
your motor is full of grease.

An occasional coating of corrosion and
rust preventive will help keep saltwater
corrosion from dulling the finish. The stern
drive lower unit is usually underwater all
the time the boat is afloat; therefore, it
should receive an extra-good coating.

10. Remove the sparkplug wires
from the spark plugs.

11. Use touch-up paint to cover
any rust spots you may find on your
motor housing.

12. Blockup your trailer so the
weight of your boat, motor and

Lubricate the outboard motor swivel pin
with anti-corrosion grease for greater pro-
tection from saltwater corrosion.

trailer is not concentrated on the
trailer tires.

13. Remove and repack your
trailer wheels.

14. Sandpaper and repaint rusted
spots on the trailer.

15. Check your electrical wiring
on the trailer. If frayed, replace.

KNOW the GREAT

Although the fear of the BLACK Wl DOW spider has
in recent years, authorities still consider its bite as or
seriously. In 1935, a great scare swept the American
Stories were told and printed that brought her a not(
deserved. I was a scout-age boy then. When friends ■
would thank their good fortune that this "killer didn
area, he delighted in having me show them this she-di
them. This is the odd thing about our relationship w
gal; few of us realize that most of us have come withi
her many, many times.

Immature Female
Enlarged 4 to 6 times

The red hour glass on her tummy is her
famous identifying mark. Old timers used
to say "that's how long she gives you to
live." That's not true. If bitten, see a
doctor, you may be quite ill but you're
not going to die. Probably because we don't
look much like an insect, it's even difficult
to induce her to bite a human. Miss Muffet
could sit down beside her for days and
never be bitten.

She may be found in dark cool places from
southern Canada southward; more frequently
in the south. Look for her. . . .

Male

Enlarged 4 to 6 t

She's a widow because she eats her husband. The daughter
resembles her father until she's mature. The male is much
smaller and his bite is believed to be harmless to humans.
Spiders are arachnids, not insects.

Look under garden vegetables
that lie on the ground.

In the corners and under things in the
cellar and out buildings. Look under
boards, logs, rocks, objects that lie
on the ground.

J^^

A fellow who knows the
great outdoors never puts
his hand where he hasn't
first looked.